1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a milking system for milking a herd of dairy animals, comprising a first milking device, an identification device for identifying dairy animals to be milked of the herd of dairy animals, and a control device which is designed to determine an estimated treatment time of each dairy animal to be milked, and wherein the control device is designed to classify each dairy animal to be milked that has been identified by the identification device with the aid of a criterion on the basis of the estimated treatment time in at least a first or second group of dairy animals, and wherein the milking system is designed to admit one or more dairy animals classified in the first group to the first milking device in order to milk said dairy animals by the first milking device.
2. Description of the Related Art
A device and method for improving the throughput capacity of a milking carrousel are known from WO2009/093964, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. The milking carrousel comprises a rotating platform with a plurality of milking stalls which are each provided with milking facilities for milking a dairy animal. The dairy animals are successively admitted to the rotating platform. The rotating platform rotates slowly at a speed that is adjusted to the milking time required for milking the dairy animals on the rotating platform, so that each dairy animal has been milked completely when the dairy animal has made an almost complete rotation. In order to increase the throughput capacity the dairy animals are classified in two groups of dairy animals on the basis of estimated milking times. The first group of dairy animals has a relatively short milking time, while the milking time of the dairy animals of the second group of dairy animals is relatively long. The fast dairy animals are led directly to the rotating platform in order to be milked. During the milking of the fast dairy animals, the slow dairy animals are delayed in a waiting area. Only after the fast dairy animals on the rotating platform have been milked, the slow dairy animals are admitted to the rotating platform from the waiting area.
However, the milk production capacity of this milking device is still limited. Moreover, the health of the slow dairy animals is adversely affected by their delay in the waiting area. Waiting makes these dairy animals restless. Furthermore, the tension in the udders of these dairy animals during the waiting time can result in medical conditions.